Page flicking mechanism for electronic display devices that paginate content

ABSTRACT

A computing device is provided that includes a display comprising a plurality of discrete elements. A memory is used to store a data collection of paginated content. A processor of the computing device is configured to retrieve each of the pages from the memory. The processor signals the display to individually present each of the pages. A sensor device is coupled to the processor. The sensor device is deflectable to signal the processor a deflection value that causes the processor to sequentially present at least portions of multiple pages on the display.

RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/854,316, filed May 11, 2001 entitled, “PAGEFLICKING MECHANISM FOR ELECTRONIC DISPLAY DEVICES THAT PAGINATECONTENT.” The aforementioned parent application is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to displays for computer devices. Inparticular, the present invention pertains to a page flicking mechanismfor a display of a computer device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Flexible display technology is an advancing area in the field ofcomputing devices. Many applications are being planned and designed toincorporate flexible display technology. Currently, products describedas “electronic paper” or “e-paper” are being integrated with computingtablets, handheld computers and other computing devices. Consumerapplications for flexible display technology includes electronic booksand magazines.

Electronic book applications are currently popular for computing devicessuch as handheld computers and laptops. In general, electronic books aredocuments formatted to be paginated on the display of the computingdevice. A user can scroll the display to view different portions of thesame page. The user can also select to view other pages. To makeselections for other pages, the user typically has to select auser-interactive feature, such as an icon on the display, or amechanical button. The page that appears after the user's selectioncoincides with a page stored as the next or adjacent page to theexisting page appearing on the display. If the user wishes to scrollthrough many pages, the user is required to make repeated entries intothe user-interactive feature, or perhaps make one sustained entry.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A computing device is provided that is capable of displaying paginatedcontent on a display. A deflective input mechanism is incorporated withthe computing device. A user can deflect the input mechanism to signal apage flick. A processor of the computing device configures thepagination appearing on the display in response to the deflection of theinput mechanism.

The processor may cause the display to present several pages of thecontent in succession as the response to the deflection of the inputmechanism. The pages appearing on the display may also skip withreference to a predetermined order of each page in the paginatedcontent.

The deflective input mechanism may be integrated or otherwise includethe display of the computing device. In one embodiment, the display isformed of flexible “electronic paper”, to enable bending or flexing bythe user. A sensor of the input mechanism may measure a deflection ofthe display in order to signal the processor a deflection value. Toaccommodate the display, other components of the computing device, suchas the PCB, the digitizer and the housing, may also be deflectable.

Another embodiment may include a deflective sensor device that iscoupleable to one of the flexible components of the computing device.The sensor device may be integrated with a deflective housing or PCB tomeasure the deflection caused by the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and notby way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings. Likereference numerals are intended to refer to similar elements amongdifferent figures.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a computing device including a flexible displaythat can be deflected to enable flicking by a user, under an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a computing device including a flexible housingportion to enable flicking by a user, under another embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a computing device assembly including a flexibleattachment to enabling flicking by a user, under another embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating components for use with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a computing device illustrating a configurationfor a sensor device, under an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a computing device illustrating anotherconfiguration for a sensor device, under an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the computing device in FIG. 6,cut along lines U-U, under an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is an illustrative cross-sectional view of the sensor device ofFIG. 6, cut along lines W-W, with the sensor device being in anundeflected position, under an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates the sensor device of FIG. 8 in a deflected position,under an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10A-10C are illustrative diagrams of a display including discreteelements affected by a flicking of a user, under an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 10A shows a display prior to receiving a page flicking input from auser.

FIG. 10B shows the display in flux, showing a flicked page on at least aportion of the display.

FIG. 10C illustrates the display after the page flick is completed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention describe a page flicking mechanism for acomputing device that displays paginated content. In the followingdescription, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific detailsare set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of thepresent invention. It will be apparent, however, that the presentinvention may be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.

A. Overview

Embodiments of the invention provide a page flicking mechanism for acomputing device that displays paginated content. In an embodiment, adisplay of the computing device includes a plurality of discreteelements, such as pixels. A memory is used to store a data collection.The data collection is arranged or otherwise identifiable as a pluralityof pages. The pages of the data collection are arranged in apre-selected order, and are each individually presentable on thedisplay. The computing device includes a processor that is configured toretrieve the pages from the memory. The processor is also configured tosignal each of the pages for presentation on the display. A sensordevice is coupled to the processor. The sensor device is deflectable tosignal the processor a deflection value when deflected. The deflectionvalue causes the processor to sequentially present all or some of themultiple pages, in a sequential and individual manner.

A display may include any device that responds to electrical signals tooutput an image. An image presented on the display may be a partial,complete, or approximate rendering of data stored for that page.

When multiple pages are sequentially presented, portions of the displayrender an image from each of the multiple pages in a sequence, so thatone page may follow another on a portion of the display. It is possiblethat an area of the display presents portions of multiple pagesconcurrently and in a sequential manner. For example, groups of discreteelements of the display may be assigned values from one of the multiplepages, and then a next, while another group of discrete elements arestatic.

As used herein, reference to deflection means any type of bending,deformation or movement by a structure that noticeably alters its shape.In one embodiment, deflection refers to a cantilevering movement of oneend of a structure relative to another.

FIG. 1 illustrates a computing device 100 equipped with a page flickingmechanism, under an embodiment of the invention. The computing device100 includes a flexing or deflective display 20 that presents paginatedinformation. The display 20 is connected to a frame 25. In oneembodiment, both display 20 and frame 25 are bendable along one or moreaxes of the computer device 100.

The display 20 may be a form of electronic paper. Electronic paperrefers to a flexible display, used for applications such as electronicbooks. An example of electronic paper for use with embodiments of theinvention includes conductive plastic substrates combined with organictransistors, manufactured jointly by E Ink Corp. and Lucent Technologies(see Electronic Paper Writes New Chapter for Displays; Brown, C.;EETimes.com, Nov. 30, 2000; hereby incorporated by reference). Anotherexample of electronic paper includes gyricon substrates, manufactured byXerox.

As will be described in greater detail, the display 20 can be deflectedto enable a user to enter an input. The deflection entered by the usercauses the pagination being presented on the display 20 to be altered.Specifically, an embodiment provides that a region 22 of display 20sequentially presents other pages based on the deflection of display 20.The display region 22 may be centrally disposed on display 20 where thedeflection is least impairing to the user. The sequential presentationof the pages on display region 22 provides the appearance of pageflicking.

The computing device 100 may be configured to measure the magnitude ofthe deflection and to correlate the magnitude with a characteristic ofthe page flicking. A larger magnitude flexing of display 20 may signalrapid page flicking, and possible skipping of intermediate pages. Asmaller magnitude flexing of display 20 may correlate to a slower pageturn, without any skipping of pages. For example, a large deflection ofdisplay 20 may result in display region 22 displaying pages 1, 5, 10, 15and 20 in one time interval. A small deflection may cause display region22 to display pages 1, 2 and 3 in a longer time interval.

Other portions of display 20 outside of display region 22 may displaycontent other than the pages being flicked through. For example, thepresentation on the other portions of display 20 may be frozen on acurrent page, or blurred to save processing resources.

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment in which computing device 100separates display 20 from a deflectable portion 30 (FIG. 30). Thedeflectable portion 20 may be integrated with a sensor (see e.g. 130,FIG. 4) to detect deflection caused by the user of the computing device100. When the deflectable portion 30 is deflected, the display 20displays multiple pages in a sequential manner on display region 22. Forsuch an embodiment, display region 22 may be disposed closer to an edgefarthest away from deflectable portion 30.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment in which computing device 100 iscoupleable to deflectable portion 30. In an embodiment, deflectableportion 30 can be connected to the side of computing device 100 throughan attachment mechanism 35. The attachment mechanism 35 may includecommunication resources for signaling deflection values to a processor140 (see FIG. 4) of computing device 100. Alternatively, a peripheralexpansion slot (see e.g. 102 FIG. 4) may extend communications between asensor contained within the deflectable portion 30 and a processor ofthe computing device 100.

B. Hardware Components

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of computing device 100, including componentsfor presenting and changing pages on a display. The computing device 100includes a processor 140 coupled to a first memory 144 and a secondmemory 146. The processor 140 is coupled to a display driver 122. Theprocessor 140 combines with display driver 122 to process and signaldata for presentation on a display 120. A sensor 130 is coupled toprocessor 140 via an analog-digital (AD) converter 132.

The computing device 100 may include one or more expansion slots. In anembodiment shown, a first peripheral port 102 enables one or more typesof accessory devices to be connected to processor 140. In addition,computing device 100 may include a wireless peripheral port 104 thatenables information to be communicated to processor 140 from an externalsource. The wireless peripheral port 104 forwards incomingcommunications to an amplifier 106 for processor 140. A second processor108 intercepts communications incoming to and/or outgoing from wirelessperipheral port 104 for purpose of facilitating conversion of datasignals between formats and protocols of wireless communications, andthose that can be processed by processor 140.

The display 120 cooperates with display driver 122 to display paginatedcontent such as text-based information. For example, display 120 may beused to display pages from electronic books. The paginated content maybe primarily in the form of text, although other information such asimages, video clips and animation, may also be presented on display 120.In an embodiment, first memory 144 corresponds to non-volatile memoryfor computing device 100. The first memory 144 stores a data collectioncorresponding to the paginated content. The processor 140 accesses firstmemory 144 to retrieve the data. The processor 140 combines with displaydriver 122 to present the data in a paginated format on display 120.

To present a selected page, processor 140 accesses first memory 144 forvalues in the data collection that are assigned to the selected page.Each selected page of the paginated content is presentable on display120 while other pages are cached in second memory 146. Alternatively,the data collection may be signaled to processor 140 from a peripheraldevice, through first peripheral port 102 or wireless peripheral port104. Either first memory 144 or second memory 146 may be used to storeportions of the data collection received from the peripheral device. Thesecond memory 146 may be used to buffer or cache the data collectionwhile one or more of the pages from the data collection is beingdisplayed.

The sensor 130 is used to detect a deflection entered as input by auser. The deflection input may be measured as an analog value that issignaled to processor 140. The deflection input causes portions of oneor more pages from the data collection to be displayed on at least aportion of display 120. The deflection is measured by sensor 130 forprocessor 140. In this way, the user may deflect a component ofcomputing device 100 to signal an input to the processor 140. Theprocessor uses a detected value of the input to present multiple pageson all or portions of display 120 over the course of a selected timeperiod. As will be further described, embodiments of the invention allowfor sensor 130 to detect deflection created on sensor 130, display 120,on a printed circuit board (PCB) of computing device 100, on a housingof computing device 100, or on a combination of sensor 130 and anothercomponent of computing device 100. The deflection may simulate thebending of a book or stack of pages, prior to their pages being flicked.

In an embodiment, the analog value measured by sensor 130 reflects themagnitude of the deflection, as well as other characteristics such asits duration, or flick speed. To process the information detected bysensor 130, AD converter 134 is coupled to receive the analog input fromsensor 130. The AD converter 134 converts the analog input into adigital format for processing by processor 140. The AD converter 134 mayalso include several channels to receive other analog inputs or valuesfrom other components. For example, one of the channels 136 may becoupled to a digitizer 260 (see FIG. 5-7) of computing device 100 todetect position information of a stylus in contact with display 120.

FIG. 5 is a top view of computing device 100, illustrating positioningof a sensor device 230, under an embodiment of the invention. The sensordevice 230 may perform functions as described with sensor 130 (FIG. 4),but is combined or housed within a deflectable structure. The sensordevice 230 may be combined with another deflectable component (such asdisplay 120) to correlate the deflection of the sensor device 230 withdeflection of the other component.

In an embodiment shown by FIGS. 2 and 3, computing device 100 is atablet having a length L extending between a top 207 and a bottom 209. Awidth W extends between lateral sides 203, 203. A housing 210 ofcomputing device 100 retains display 120 (FIG. 1), as well as housingother components. The housing 210 retains a digitizer 260 in cooperationwith display 120. Among other functionalities provided, digitizer 260enables input to be entered onto display 120 through contact. Thedigitizer 260 detects the position of the contact and correlates theposition contact with an input. The digitizer 260 may be positioned ontop of display 120, or be overlaid by display 120. For the embodimentshown, digitizer 260 is assumed to be under display 120. In somecomputing device 100, digitizer 260 may extend beyond display 120 alongthe top edge 222, bottom edge 224, or one of the lateral edges 226, 228.In particular, for many types of devices, digitizer 260 may extendbeyond the lateral edges 226, 228 of display 120.

With reference to FIG. 5, a top segment 217 of housing 210 measures thedistance from a top edge 222 of display 220 and a top 207 of computingdevice 100. A bottom segment 219 of housing 210 measures the distancefrom a bottom edge 224 of display 220 and a bottom 209 of computingdevice 100. A first lateral segment 213 of housing 210 measures thedistance from one of the lateral sides 203 and a lateral edge 226 ofdisplay 220. Similarly, a second lateral segment 215 of housing 210measures the distance from the other one of the lateral sides 203 andanother lateral edge 228 of display 220.

In an embodiment, sensor device 230 is positioned within housing 210 onor adjacent to an exterior surface. For example, a front panel 212 ofhousing 210 may provide access to display 220. The sensor device 230 maybe positioned directly underneath front panel 212. To this end, sensordevice 230 is positioned apart from display 220 and digitizer 260. Inone embodiment, sensor device 230 is positioned on top segment 217 ofhousing 210. To enable sensor device 230 to measure a deflection, bothhousing 210 and sensor device 230 may be configured to bend orcantilever. The display 220 and digitizer 260 may be similarlyconfigured. For sensor device 230 such as described with FIGS. 4 and 5,the direction of bending would cantilever top segment 217 into thepaper.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment in which sensor device 230 ispositioned lengthwise within housing 210 of computing device 100, so asto extend between top 207 and bottom 209. Since digitizer 260 may extendtowards lateral side 203, sensor device 230 may be positioned underneathboth display 220 and digitizer 260. The first lateral segment 213 mayoverlay at least a portion of sensor device 230 and digitizer 260. Thesensor device 230 is deflective to measure a deflection entered by theuser. To accommodate the deflection, housing 210, display 220, anddigitizer 260 may deflect with sensor device 230, so that lateral side203 of computing device 100 nearest sensor device 230 deflects into thepaper.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, display 220 may be described withreference to a deflected region 225. The deflected region 225 maycoincide to a portion of display 220 where presentation of the datacollection is altered as a result of the deflection created by the user.The deflected region 225 may also coincide with a region of display 220that is the boundary of physical deflection on display 220. Thedeflected region 225 may be positioned center or off-center to best suitpositioning of sensor device 230. For example, if one of the lateralsides 203 is deflectable, deflected region 225 may be off-center toaccommodate one region of display 220 being deflected. Furthermore,variations to pages being presented from the data collection may beprovided on a boundary provided within deflected region 225. Forexample, when lateral side 203 is bent, pages may appear to be flickedto the left of deflected region 225. In addition, display 220 mayinclude multiple deflectable regions 225.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of computing device 100, cut alonglines U-U of FIG. 6. FIG. 7 illustrates sensor device 230 in relation toother components of computing device 100, under an embodiment of theinvention. The display 220 is coupled over digitizer 260. Thecombination of display 220 and digitizer 260 are coupled to housing 210,and positioned over a PCB 270. The PCB 270 may provide components suchas processor 140, first memory 144, second memory 146 and othercomponents described with FIG. 4. While display 220 is shown to beoverlaid on digitizer 260, other embodiments may provide otherconfigurations. In particular, digitizer 260 may be mounted over display220, or integrated as one unit with display 220. Still further,computing device 100 may not have digitizer 260, since that component istypically used to enable touch-sensitive entries onto display 220.

In a direction shown by axis Z, sensor device 230 is positioned justunderneath digitizer 260. This may correspond to position A. In anotherembodiment, sensor device 230 may be positioned immediately adjacent(either above or below) to PCB 270. This may correspond to position B orC. The positions A, B, and C are possible for a configuration such asshown with FIG. 6. For a configuration such as shown with FIG. 5, sensordevice 230 may be positioned adjacent display 220, such as provided byposition D (extending into the paper). In position D, sensor device 230may be proximate to or adjacent to the front panel 212 of the housing210, as digitizer 260 does not extend above display 220.

In an embodiment, sensor device 230 measures its own deflection.Therefore, sensor device 230 may be deflectable, and positioned withincomputing device 100 to enable its deflection by a user. To this end,portions or all of housing 210 may be flexible to bend in an areacoinciding with the position of sensor device 230. The display 220 maybe bendable to accommodate sensor device 230 being positioned underneathdisplay 220. The digitizer 260 may be similarly constructed if used incooperation with display 220. The PCB 270 may be flexible to accommodatebending of sensor device 230 in position B, C and possible A.Alternatively, PCB 270 may be shortened or otherwise to be away from aregion of computing device 100 that deflects. If sensor device 230 ispositioned at D, digitizer 260 and PCB 270 may each be shortened. Inthis way, the housing 210, and possible display 220, may be the flexiblecomponents of computing device 100 that bend for sensor device 230 toenable deflection to be entered as an input.

B. Sensor Device

FIGS. 8-9 illustrate a deflectable sensor device 230 for use withcomputing device 100, under an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 8 isillustrative of a partial cross-section taken along lines W-W of FIG. 6.In an embodiment shown, display 120 is mounted over digitizer 260,adjacent to first lateral segment 213 of housing 210. The digitizer 260extends beyond a boundary of display 120 towards lateral side 203 ofhousing 210. The sensor device 230 is positioned immediately underneathdigitizer 260. The sensor device 230 may include one or more conductiveelements extending a width of the sensor device 230. To accommodatedeflection, display 120, digitizer 260 and sensor device 230 may all bedeflectable for the user. The flexure of the deflecting components maybe designed to simulate the feel of a book bending to flick pages.

In an embodiment, sensor device 230 includes multiple conductiveelements 232 that are intertwined or spaced in cooperation to provide anelectrical property measuring a distance between them. The conductiveelements 232 may be static and spaced in a default position when sensordevice 230 is not deflected. In an embodiment, conductive elements 232of sensor device 230 are extended perpendicular to the length of sensordevice 230. Other embodiments may provide conductive elements 232 toextend lengthwise with sensor device 230.

FIG. 9 illustrates sensor device 230 of FIG. 7 in a deflected position.The conductive elements 232 move relative to one another when sensordevice 230 deflects. For example, spacing (labeled as H₁) betweenconductive elements 232 in FIG. 8 is relatively static from one end ofthe cross-section shown to the other. But in FIG. 9, spacing betweenconductive elements 232 is changed, and labeled as H₂ and H₃.Specifically, the spacing between electrical elements 232 may bereduced, so that H₂ and H₃ are both less than H₁. Further, thedifference in spacing along sensor device 230 may no longer be static,so that H₂ is different than H₃. The changes between H₂, H₃ and H₁, aswell as between H₂ and H₃, may be used to measure a magnitude of thedeflection. As sensor device 230 is deflected, the spacing betweenconductive elements 232 is altered, causing a fluctuation in theelectrical property. The fluctuation in the electrical property may bedetected and measured as an analog value that is subsequently signaledto AD converter 134 (see FIG. 4).

In an embodiment, the electrical property that is fluctuated andmeasured is a capacitance, existing between the conductive elements 232through electrical charge or current. Another embodiment may useresistance or inductance between the conductive elements 232, based onchanges in charge as a result of positioning of the electrical elements232 before and after deflection.

C. Page Presentation

A page flicking mechanism such as shown with embodiments of theinvention enables a user to enter an input that reconfigures the display120 to present other pages of paginated content. The other pages may bepresented in various formats, preferably in rapid succession, giving theuser an impression that the pages are being flicked. In an embodiment,the pages are presented on the display for a duration corresponding tothe user providing the flicking input. In this way, the user can trackthe pages as they are being presented in succession on the display.Further, the user can select a page for viewing by stopping the flickingaction.

FIGS. 10A-10C illustrate configurations for computing device 100, inwhich stored values of select pages are assigned to discrete elements322 of display 120 at times before, during and after a page flick. Forsimplicity, the stored values for each discrete element 322 aredescribed and illustrated with reference to bit values, although valuesfor each discrete element may range depending on the type of display.For example, color displays may use color values using multiple bits.

The stored values that are to be assigned to each discrete element ofdisplay 120 are part of a larger data collection representing thepaginated content. An example of a data collection configured forpaginated presentations is an electronic book. In an embodiment, bitvalues of each page are stored in first memory 144 (FIG. 4) of computingdevice 100. Each bit value may be assigned to appear on particulardiscrete elements 332 of display 120 when that page is selected.Alternatively, values may be assigned to different portions of thedisplay 120 to enable the user to scroll vertically or sideways and viewportions of each page on the display.

FIG. 10A-10C illustrates bit values from the data collection at threedurations: prior to receiving the page flick (t=0); during the pageflick (t=N); and after the page flick (t=F). The pages assigned fromeach value are denoted by subscripts. The subscript 0 represents thecurrent page. FIG. 10A shows that at t=0, processor 140 presents onlythe current page. The bit values from that page appear on every discreteelement 322.

Upon the page flick being entered by a user, FIG. 10B illustrates theduration N, where pages are sequentially presented. During the durationN, all or portions of display 120 presents multiple pages in sequence,so as to be in flux. An embodiment provides that the current page ispresented on display 120 concurrently with another page that iscontinuously changed until the page flick ends. The current page may bestatic and appear on first display portion 310. A second display portion315 may present pages that are continuously changed. The bit values ofthe pages that are continuously changed are denoted by the subscript J.The pages denoted by J are part of a set presented on second displayportion 315 during the duration t=N. The page numbers in the set ofpages may range in either direction from the current page, depending ona value of the page flick. The page numbers denoted by J may also skip,or follow one another sequentially. For example, for a large page flickvalue, the page numbers contained in the set denoted by J may skip. Inaddition, the number of pages appearing in the set denoted by J maydepend on the value of the page flick. For any duration, the pageflicking value may be slow or fast. The duration of N may include morepages in the set of J for larger page flick values.

In an embodiment, second display portion 315 is positioned on the mostviewable length of display 120. That may correspond to a centrallypositioned strip having a width that is only a proportion of the overallwidth of display 120. If display 120 is bendable, second display portion315 may correspond to a length of display 120 appearing left of thedisplay's center line. The left side is most viewable if the user isbending a right end of display 120.

FIG. 10C illustrates display 120 at t=F, where discrete elements 322assert bit values from the final page selected by the user as a resultof the page flick. The final page is represented by bit values withsubscripts K. In the natural order of the data collection (i.e.sequential page numbers of a book), K may precede or be subsequent tothe page represented by the subscripts 0 and J. The page K may beselected as a result of the user viewing one of the many pages presentedduring the interval N.

While embodiments described with FIGS. 9A-9C describe the current pageas being presented concurrently with other pages being flicked, otherembodiments may dedicate the entire area of display 120 for pages thatare flicked. While this would require more processing and memoryresources, the visual effect may be easier to view by the user.

Another embodiment may display only portions of each page being flicked.For example, second display portion 315 may blank every other row ofdiscrete elements 322. The result would be that the portion of display120 used for displaying flicked pages is blurred, while giving the usersufficient page presentation to enable the user to be able to identifyfeatures of characteristics of each page flicked. Blurring the flickedpages in this manner preserves memory and processing resources ofcomputing device 100.

Still further, the computing device 100 may be configured tointelligently blur or omit data from the pages being flicked.Substantially blank pages may be skipped during page flicks. Blank linesor pages may be omitted.

D. Other Embodiments

While embodiments described herein for computing device 100 describehousing 210, it is possible for computing device 100 to not have ahousing that is separate from display 120. For example, certain types ofelectronic paper in production may form the top panel 212 of the housing210 for computing device 100.

Under another embodiment, a page flicking mechanism may be coupleable toa handheld computer to enable users to flick pages of paginated contentprovided on the handheld computer. A page flicking mechanism comprisingsensor device 230 may be coupled to a port of a handheld computer.Examples of handheld computers for use with such an embodiment includespersonal digital assistants (PDAs), such as those manufactured by PalmInc., or those operating WINDOWS POCKET PC operating systems. The pageflicking mechanism may communicate with a processor of the handheldcomputer through a serial port, wireless port (having infrared,BlueTooth or radio-frequency characteristics), or other communicationports, such as Universal Serial Busses (USB).

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described withreference to specific embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evidentthat various modifications and changes may be made thereto withoutdeparting from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

1. A computing device comprising: a display; a memory to store a datacollection, the data collection being segmented into a plurality ofpages, each page being presentable on the display; a processor coupledto the display and the memory, the processor being configured to presentthe pages on the display by retrieving the pages from the memory and bysignaling the display to present the plurality of pages; and a sensordevice coupled to the processor, the sensor device sensing a deflectionof a member to signal the processor a deflection value, the deflectionvalue causing the processor to sequentially present at least portions ofmultiple pages on the display over an interval of time.
 2. The computingdevice of claim 1, wherein the display is deflectable and coupled to thesensor device so as to deflect with the sensor device.
 3. The computingdevice of claim 1, wherein the member is a component of the sensordevice.
 4. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the sensor devicemeasures an analog value corresponding to a deflection of the sensordevice.
 5. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the sensor device isintegrated with the display.
 6. The computing device of claim 5, whereinat least a first area of the display is overlaid on the sensor device todeflect with the sensor device.
 7. The computing device of claim 5,wherein the display is deflectable to be able to cantilever with thesensor device.
 8. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the analogvalue correlates to a magnitude of the deflection.
 9. The computingdevice of claim 8, wherein the magnitude of the deflection determines afrequency at which the portions of the multiple pages are presented onthe display.
 10. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the processordisplays during the interval at least portions of a current page and asubsequent page, the subsequent page having a proximity to the currentpage in a predetermined order of the data collection, and wherein theanalog value determines the subsequent page by determining the proximityof the subsequent page to the current page.
 11. The computing device ofclaim 10, wherein a length of the interval is determined by the analogvalue.
 12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the intervalcorresponds to when the sensor device is deflected.
 13. The computingdevice of claim 3, further comprising an analog to digital converter tosignal the processor a digital value corresponding to the analog valuemeasured by the sensor device.
 14. The computing device of claim 1,further comprising a digitizer coupled to the display.
 15. The computingdevice of claim 14, wherein the sensor device is unitarily formed withthe digitizer.
 16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the displayis overlaid on the digitizer, and the sensor device is connected to thedigitizer and positioned underneath the digitizer.
 17. A computingdevice comprising: a deflectable display; a memory to store a datacollection, the data collection being segmented into a plurality ofpages; a processor coupled to the display and the memory, the processorconfigured to present the pages on the display by retrieving the pagesfrom the memory and by signaling the display to individually presenteach of the plurality of pages; and a sensor device coupled to thedisplay to detect a deflection of the display, the sensor device beingcoupled to signal the processor a deflection value corresponding to thedeflection of the display; wherein in response to being signaled by thesensor device, the processor uses the deflection value to identify a setof pages in the plurality of pages, and signals at least a first area ofthe display to sequentially present at least portions from select pagesin the identified set of pages.
 18. The computing device of claim 17,wherein a current page is presented on the display when the sensordevice detects the deflection of the display, and wherein the processoridentifies the set of pages using the deflection value.
 19. Thecomputing device of claim 18, wherein the display includes a pluralityof discrete elements, and wherein for each page, the memory stores avalue to the discrete elements of the display when that page ispresented on the display.
 20. The computing device of claim 19, whereinthe first area of the display includes discrete elements that aresequentially assigned values from the select pages in the set of pages.